The Aircraft Electronics Association’s board of
directors selected Dan Walker, past director
of domestic marketing for King Radio Corp.,
as the AEA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient
for 2010.
Walker will be honored during the official opening
ceremonies Thursday, April 8, at the 53rd annual
AEA International Convention & Trade Show in
Orlando, Fla.
Walker’s interest in the field of aviation electronics
began when he joined the Air Force and was sent
to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas,
for Officer Candidate School. At school, he worked
on navigator/electronic counter measures, spending
more than four years in both airborne and ground
work.
Walker’s last duty area was at the Olathe Naval
Air Station in Olathe, Kan. By then, he had earned
his pilot ratings at flying clubs across the country, and
in the mid-1960s, Wilson’s Flying Service in Kansas
City hired him. One day, Walker was flying a charter
passenger who would change the course of his life.
“I flew a gentleman named Wayne Ross who had
an ad agency and was doing work for King Radio
Corp.,” Walker said. “I mentioned that I was about to
get out of the Air Force and wanted to do something
with electronics — and that’s when he told me about
his advertising client.”
A lunch interview soon followed with Glenn
Bergmann, vice president of marketing for King
Radio, and Bud Glover, well-known vice president
of sales for King Radio. Walker was hired as
Southeast regional sales manager — one of three
regional managers — and was moved to Atlanta in
the late 1960s.
From Atlanta, he transferred to Memphis in 1970,
followed by Dallas in 1976. Later, Walker relocated
to King Radio’s headquarters offices in Olathe to set
up a dealer-direct program.
Like others who worked for King Radio during
this time, Walker recalls the company’s extraordinary
leadership.
“Bob Cox put together an infrastructure to support
everything we did,” Walker said. “If one department
would say they couldn’t do something, Bob would
ask, ‘Why not?’ We had a smooth operation.”
Throughout the AEA membership, Walker is
credited with his style of leadership in working with
and supporting the dealer network. In a controversial
move, King Radio had decided to no longer work
through wholesalers, but to work directly with the
dealers. The plan was to have 10 regional sales people
to staff five regions: one manager on the road and his
paired counterpart at headquarters.
“I’m proud of the people who got their aviation
start in this program,” Walker said. “They have
gone on to have extremely successful careers in the
industry.”
When asked about working for King Radio
founder Ed King, Walker said, “He was just an
extremely innovative man. He is the type of person
who, when you talked to him, you had to be careful
what you said because he was always thinking way
ahead of you. He is a tremendous engineer and knew
what people wanted when it comes to flying — and
he was smart enough to hire Bob Cox to run the
company.
“(King’s) key to success was timing, innovation
and hiring the right people.”
Walker left King in 1991, with the title of director
of domestic marketing. He spent the next four years
at Goodrich.
“When Goodrich faded out of the general aviation
repair business, I faded out, too,” Walker said.
Today, Walker and his wife, Dyana, live in
Kerrville, Texas, and stay busy with landscaping,
photography and traveling.
“The only part of my life that is still involved in
aviation is when I look up and see the Mooney’s flying
into Kerrville,” Walker said.
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Founded in 1957, the Aircraft Electronics Association represents nearly 1,300 member companies in more than 40 countries, including approved maintenance organizations specializing in maintenance, repair and installation of aircraft electronics systems in general aviation aircraft. The AEA membership also includes manufacturers of aircraft electronics equipment, instrument repair facilities, instrument manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, test equipment manufacturers, major distributors, engineers and educational institutions.